An effective end to the decades-old distinction between betting and gaming feels increasingly imminent The 12-week consultation on a Treasury proposal to “harmonise” the rate of duty levied on online betting – on racing and other sports – and casino gaming – for example, roulette and online slot machines –...
The Breakdown | If Lions complete Australia rout, clamour for tour of France will grow
It may open the Lions to accusations of parochialism, but there is a compelling case for staying in Europe It may be too early to start asking existential questions about the British & Irish Lions but, sitting in Melbourne’s Southbank, slap bang in the middle of Aussie rules territory, where...
Fiery rivalry turned Lord’s Test into brilliant box office – I can’t wait for the sequel | Mark Ramprakash
England proved their mettle by coming back to beat India, and bringing in the experienced Liam Dawson makes them stronger The third Test at Lord’s was an outstanding game and a brilliant win for England, particularly after the hammering they received at Edgbaston. To come back and show the mettle...
Terrifying Mont Ventoux ready to create the unexpected again in Tour de France
From Simpson’s sad death to Froome’s bizarre run, the ‘Bald Mountain’ has always been the place where stuff happens The decades pass, generations of Tour de France cyclists come and go, but some gruesome things never change. On Tuesday, the survivors of one of the craziest, fastest Tours ever, a...
‘Club of my dreams’: Bryan Mbeumo seals £71m Manchester United move
Says United are ‘the team whose shirt I wore growing up’ Rashford to complete Barcelona loan on Wednesday Bryan Mbeumo said he had joined “the club of my dreams” after completing a £71m move to Manchester United, where the Cameroon international has signed a five-year deal, from Brentford. The 25-year-old...
Optimists share similar brain patterns when thinking about the future, scans show
Positive thinkers are ‘literally on the same wavelength’, say Japanese researchers Whether it’s an exam, flight or health check, some people take a sunny view of the future while others plan for catastrophes. Now researchers have found that people with an upbeat outlook show similar patterns of brain activity when...
England arrive in the beating heart of Euro 2025 with Italian job still to do
Stade de Genève has arguably been the epicentre of Euro 2025 – England need to stamp their mark on the ground Just off the shore of Lake Geneva, the Jet d’Eau fires a relentless, arching cascade 140 metres into the air. It is the centrepiece of an effortlessly refined city...
The babies born with DNA from three parents – podcast
Doctors in the UK have announced the birth of eight healthy babies after performing a groundbreaking procedure that creates IVF embryos with DNA from three people. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about the life-threatening genetic disorders that the technique appears to prevent, and Prof Sir Doug Turnbull describes the 25-year...
Hundreds of Nasa workers rebuke ‘arbitrary’ Trump cuts in scathing letter
Nearly 300 current and former employees signed the letter criticizing the ‘rapid and wasteful changes’ at the agency Almost 300 current and former US Nasa employees, including at least four astronauts, have issued a scathing dissent opposing the Trump administration’s sweeping and indiscriminate cuts to the agency, which they say...
The 2026 Senate map is tough for Democrats, but Republicans have their own headaches
Republicans are encountering some early headaches in Senate races viewed as pivotal to maintaining the party’s majority next year